Hostname: page-component-78c5997874-dh8gc Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-04T21:26:02.313Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false

Tunable Interferometers Driven by Coherent Surface Acoustic Phonons

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  29 March 2016

Antonio Crespo-Poveda*
Affiliation:
Materials Science Institute, University of Valencia, P.O. Box 2208, ES46071 Valencia, Spain
Alberto Hernández-Mínguez
Affiliation:
Paul Drude Institute for Solid State Electronics, Hausvogteiplatz 5-7, DE10117 Berlin, Germany
Klaus Biermann
Affiliation:
Paul Drude Institute for Solid State Electronics, Hausvogteiplatz 5-7, DE10117 Berlin, Germany
Abbes Tahraoui
Affiliation:
Paul Drude Institute for Solid State Electronics, Hausvogteiplatz 5-7, DE10117 Berlin, Germany
Bernardo Gargallo
Affiliation:
iTEAM Research Institute, Polytechnic University of Valencia, Camino de Vera s/n, ES46022 Valencia, Spain
Pascual Muñoz
Affiliation:
iTEAM Research Institute, Polytechnic University of Valencia, Camino de Vera s/n, ES46022 Valencia, Spain
Paulo V. Santos
Affiliation:
Paul Drude Institute for Solid State Electronics, Hausvogteiplatz 5-7, DE10117 Berlin, Germany
Andrés Cantarero
Affiliation:
Materials Science Institute, University of Valencia, P.O. Box 2208, ES46071 Valencia, Spain
Maurício M. de Lima Jr.
Affiliation:
Materials Science Institute, University of Valencia, P.O. Box 2208, ES46071 Valencia, Spain
*
Get access

Abstract

We demonstrate a compact tunable photonic modulator driven by surface acoustic waves (SAWs) in the low GHz frequency range. The device follows a well-known Mach-Zehnder interferometer (MZI) structure with three output channels, built upon multi-mode interference (MMI) couplers. The light continuously switches paths between the central and the side channels, avoiding losses and granting a 180-dephasing synchronization between them. The modulator was monolithically fabricated on (Al,Ga)As, and can be used as a building block for more complex photonic functionalities. It can also be implemented in other material platforms such as Silicon or (In,Ga)P. Light modulated at multiples of the fundamental acoustic frequency can be accomplished by adjusting the applied acoustic power. An excellent agreement between theory and experiment is achieved.

Type
Articles
Copyright
Copyright © Materials Research Society 2016 

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

REFERENCES

Sun, Jie, Timurdogan, E., Yaacobi, A., Shah Hosseini, E. and Watts, M. R., “Large-scale nanophotonic phased array,” Nature, 493, 195199 (2013).Google Scholar
de Lima, M. M. Jr., Beck, M., Hey, R., and Santos, P. V., “Compact Mach- Zehnder acousto-optic modulator,” Appl. Phys. Lett. 89, 121104 (2006).Google Scholar
Beck, M., de Lima, M. M. Jr., Wiebicke, E., Seidel, W., Hey, R., and Santos, P. V., “Acousto-optical multiple interference switches,” Appl. Phys. Lett. 91, 061118 (2007).Google Scholar
Crespo-Poveda, A., Hey, R., Biermann, K., Tahraoui, A., Santos, P. V., Gargallo, B., Muñoz, P., Cantarero, A., and de Lima, M. M. Jr., “Synchronized photonic modulators driven by surface acoustic waves,” Opt. Express. 21, 2166921676 (2013).Google Scholar
Crespo-Poveda, A., Hernández-Mínguez, A., Gargallo, B., Biermann, K., Tahraoui, A., Santos, P. V., Muñoz, P., Cantarero, A., and de Lima, M. M. Jr., “Acoustically driven arrayed waveguide grating,” Opt. Express. 23, 2121321231 (2015).Google Scholar
Soldano, L. B. and Pennings, E. C. M., “Optical multi-mode interference devices based on self-imaging: principles and applications,” J. Lightw. Technol. 13, 615627 (1995).CrossRefGoogle Scholar